Government calls for shared multi-sector PSR

The government has announced it is exploring options to introduce a single, multi-sector Priority Service Register (PSR) to help vulnerable utility consumers.

Under plans announced as part of the chancellor’s Autumn Statement on Wednesday (22 November) energy, water and telecoms companies would share data so those most in need only need to disclose information about their vulnerability once, regardless of where they live.

In a consultation on the proposals, the government argues that such a service could “reduce harm and improve wellbeing during incidents, increase the number of households receiving tailored services”, as well as save administrative costs and improve support for the vulnerable.

It added: “A data hub, portal or signup service , hosted in the private or public sector, could exist on a ‘tell us once’ basis, similar to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) service where individuals inform central and local government services of a death once.

“The service should also easily enable amendments to an individual’s situation, given that vulnerable circumstances might change. The expectation is that service providers (both bodies involved in incident response and companies servicing vulnerable households in regulated sectors) would be given appropriate and controlled access to this information and use it to support vulnerable consumers.”

A single PSR service, it continued, should use accessible language and have shared data removal and retention policies, as well as centrally managed data validations. Furthermore, the service should be designed in a way that is easy for consumers to sign up to.

The “starting principle” of the PSR is that consumer data should be portable “in cases of substantial public interest” so that new service providers can automatically access the relevant information if and when a customer moves address or switches supplier. This, the government explained, would reduce the risk of consumers “dropping off” the PSR.

It further revealed that the Cabinet Office will help coordinate government input into the proposal.

Following the announcement, Utility Week spoke to Christopher Fitch, an advisor to the Support Hub platform who is also vulnerability lead at the Money Advice Trust.

He said the sector has “the best opportunity for 20 years” to build a shared PSR, but stressed it must be co-designed with disabled and vulnerable consumers.

Fitch said: “I’d really like to see the government and the regulators think about how they can bring together the most accessible and inclusive consumer facing portal alongside mechanisms that allow their data to be shared really easily and really quickly. What I mean by that is it’s great if you’ve got the back end sorted, so you’ve solved some of the technical problems around data sharing or data protection.

“However, unless you have a portal that reflects the accessibility and the inclusion needs of the people you are trying to get to share their data, it’s not going to work. So we need something that is well designed and well engaged.”

He warned against “a battle of products” between companies all vying to have their solution used for the PSR and called for a collaborative approach.

“We have got the best opportunity for 20 years to do something quite amazing but only if we have people with lived experience at the heart of it and only if we build it in a step by step fashion together,” he added.

Also speaking to Utility Week on the matter was Peter Smith, director of policy and advocacy at charity National Energy Action, who said that with no direct energy bill support in the Autumn Statement, it will be “even more vital that the Priority Services Register is an active tool that can be used effectively by utilities to respond to the needs of their customers and prioritise assistance”.

He added: “A major anomaly with the current energy PSR is that it fails to capture financial vulnerability in a consistent way. This is resulting in customers having to give the same, often very sensitive, information about their financial circumstances every time they call their supplier.

“This should be resolved by creating a new discrete Financial Vulnerability needs code. NEA would like to see this concept applied first to the energy industry where the proportionate case for sharing this sensitive data is strongest.”

A shared PSR was launched at the end of March this year in what was billed as “the biggest single breakthrough in PSR data sharing in over a decade”, with distribution network operators (DNOs) and water companies across England and Wales combining their respective datasets.

Speaking at Utility Week’s Customer Summit in Birmingham in March vulnerability expert Steve Crabb, who advised on the project, said: “There are 22 water companies and DNOs in total and there are 37 combinations of those companies serving customers.

“As things stand, 35 of those 37 will be sharing PSR data on 31 March of this year, or within a couple of weeks of that target deadline. And that’s thanks to astounding hard work by the companies, the two industry bodies and also the two regulators and really it’s the biggest single breakthrough in PSR data sharing in over a decade.”